Wider Circle

For a third year in a row, Wider Circle has made the #Inc5000 list — proof that more people are finding a community, and more companies are treating connection as part of health. Grateful to our partners, our team, and every member who trusted us with more than just their health story. Know a healthcare organization or community looking to bring people together for better health? Let's talk. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gWDaP4Ga

"I want better for my kids. I just don't really know where to start." Alfreda had spent four years without a home. She was raising two kids, managing high blood pressure, and living with seizures that stress made worse. She came to her first Wider Circle event carrying all of it. Then she started asking for help, and her community answered. They shared what they knew about parenting and managing stress. They made room for honest conversations about grief and mental health. They guided her through applying for housing. When she got her keys to an empty apartment, six of them organized a donation drive and filled it. Today her blood pressure is lower, her health is more stable, and she is helping guide an upcoming community event on parenting so other parents can ask the questions she once did. This is what social connection looks like when it is built into care. Read Alfreda's full story: https://bit.ly/4fTVvmr Subscribe to Stories from the Circle: bit.ly/3Ysu6QL #SocialDeterminantsOfHealth #CommunityHealth #HealthEquity #MemberEngagement

For years, Laura managed everything alone. A single mom of four, she was juggling diabetes and high cholesterol while making sure her family's needs came first. She wasn't sleeping well, and she had no one to turn to about her own health. That changed when she started showing up to Wider Circle's virtual events, where she found something she hadn't had before: a space where she could open up and share with people who understood. Members talked openly about what they were going through and swapped what had worked for them. Laura heard her own struggles in theirs, and she started talking too. The group encouraged her to walk a little more each week. She found she loved to dance. Her health followed: Laura says her "liver health, kidney health, and diabetes are all under much better control," and her doctors have noticed the improvements as well. Now Laura is the one rallying her neighbors to move, and telling other parents and her children's teachers where to find the same support she found. "By improving my own health and well-being, I'm able to be there for my family and encourage them to live healthier lives as well." Laura says. Read Laura's full story: https://bit.ly/4yAqywn Subscribe to Stories from the Circle: bit.ly/3Ysu6QL #CommunityHealth #SocialConnection #MemberEngagement #HealthOutcomes

What happens when the person everyone counts on is the one who needs help? Jorge was that person. First to arrive, last to leave, driving members to and from Wider Circle events. He lost his wife to a heart attack. In his grief, he found comfort in the community he'd spent years supporting. A few years later, his son passed away. Members reached out, checked in, and came together to help cover funeral costs. When a stroke left one side of his face weak, members who'd survived strokes showed him the exercises that had worked for them. He followed their lead, and his eye closes on its own again. That community keeps him on top of his own care. "Speaking with members helps me stay reminded," he says of staying current on his annual wellness visits. Today Jorge is still one of his community's most active ambassadors, sharing his wife's story at events so fellow members will recognize the warning signs of a heart attack. In 2025, he was nominated for Wider Circle's National Ambassador Award. This is what community-based care makes possible: peer connection that shows up when people need it most. Read Jorge's full story: bit.ly/4ycaMHR Subscribe to Stories from the Circle: bit.ly/3Ysu6QL #CommunityHealth #HealthEquity #SocialDeterminantsOfHealth #MemberStories

She came to Wider Circle managing high blood pressure, borderline diabetes, and a household of six — feeling like eating well was out of reach. Today she's the person her whole community looks for. Meet Nikia. She'd weathered hard seasons, including time in shelters, when her Community Engagement Specialist, Taz, reached out. They connected instantly. "I wasn't meeting a stranger," Nikia recalls. "I met someone I'd known for a while." At Wider Circle events, she traded budget-friendly ways to cook and eat well with members navigating the same conditions. Her blood pressure came down into a manageable range — and what she learned, she brought home: she and her son, who manages similar health conditions, now cook healthier meals together. Today she's a lead ambassador, coordinating events and connecting local businesses to the members who need them. This is community-powered care: not a service delivered to people, but a network where members become the connection — to resources, to better health, and to each other. As Nikia puts it: "We're not members. We're a family." Read Nikia's full story here: https://bit.ly/3QHsAJN Subscribe to Stories From The Circle here: bit.ly/3Ysu6QL #WiderCircle #CommunityHealth #HealthierTogether #WellnessJourney

Our biggest takeaway from AHIP 2026: healthcare's trust problem is a connection problem. Last week, the Wider Circle team attended AHIP in Las Vegas. Amid all the talk of policy and tech, one truth stood out: fixing administrative friction isn't just operational efficiency—it's how we rebuild member trust and end isolation. A moment that stuck with us: In his keynote, Jim Rechlin shared a story about a member who got a "denied claim" notice that was actually just a temporary hold. This type of miscommunication, even just one confusing letter, leaves individuals feeling abandoned by the very system designed to support them. Three takeaways for what's next: - Progress, but slow: Health plans cut prior authoriuzations by 11%—6.5M fewer industry-wide. Real progress, but the pace shows how far we still have to go. - Simplicity is the mandate: Payers and providers agree—you shouldn't need insider knowledge to navigate your own care. Clarity isn't optional anymore. - AI + human connection, not AI vs. human connection: AI dominated every conversation. But the emphasis on "responsible use" tells us the industry knows tech should enable care, not replace it. At Wider Circle, we believe that addressing the loneliness epidemic and improving health outcomes require the same foundation: trusted connection. Simplify the system, build community around the individual, and a confusing maze becomes a reliable support network. A huge thanks to the event organizers and to everyone we had the pleasure to connect with. Let's keep building toward a healthcare system that feels like a connected network. #AHIP26 #Healthcare #HealthEquity #SDoH

What can a community do for someone's health? For Rashida, the answer started with people showing up. After a health scare, Rashida, a single mom managing high blood pressure and diabetes, leaned on her Wider Circle community. They reached out as she recovered. They checked in with the tough questions: Have you been to the doctor? How's your blood pressure? They connected her to food and budgeting resources she didn't know existed, and traded simple, affordable ways to eat healthier. That support changed things. Rashida started bringing healthier eating into her life and discovered juicing, making fresh fruits and vegetables the center of her day. As her health turned around, she gave it right back. Today she's a Wider Circle Ambassador hosting quarterly "Juicing and Eating Healthy" events and inspiring neighbors to build their own healthy habits. The results speak for themselves: she's more engaged in her care, her blood pressure is back in a healthy range, and she's feeling stronger than ever. That's community-powered health, people lifting each other up, one connection at a time. Read Rashida’s full story here: https://bit.ly/4eE96ik Subscribe to Stories From The Circle here: bit.ly/3Ysu6QL #WiderCircle #CommunityHealth #HealthEquity #MemberEngagement #SocialDeterminantsOfHealth

After losing her mother and surviving a mini-stroke, Joy struggled to find an in-person grief group that felt right to her. Then she found Wider Circle. Through community gatherings, virtual events, and one-on-one calls with her Wider Circle Facilitator, Jayson, Joy slowly found her way through her grief. Along the way, Jayson helped her access a benefit she didn't know she had — one that ultimately allowed her to keep her own teeth and rediscover her smile. Today, Joy is a Wider Circle Ambassador in her community, supporting other members through grief and helping organize the biggest Wider Circle event her area has seen. "If it wasn't for Wider Circle, I wouldn't have gained the confidence." — Joy 💛 Read Joy’s full story here: bit.ly/4dnRE19 Subscribe to Stories From The Circle here: bit.ly/3Ysu6QL #StoriesFromTheCircle #CommunityHealth #widercircle

Wider Circle is proud to announce our acquisition of Menda Health, bringing together two organizations united by a powerful conviction: that group connection is one of the most effective tools in senior healthcare. Menda Health has built a group-based behavioral care model that helps adults living with chronic pain regain hope, function, and quality of life. By combining Menda’s virtual care approach with our proven, peer-driven community model, we are bolstering our ability to provide longitudinal care for seniors and hard-to-reach members. Chronic illness is best addressed through sustained connection rather than episodic care. Together, we are excited to scale human-centered interventions that reduce isolation and improve outcomes for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and dual-eligible individuals nationwide. Read the entire release here: https://lnkd.in/gWF4PnTs

When Dolores walked into her first Wider Circle event over six years ago, she came in dancing. She became an ambassador. She led two walking groups. She led last year's Wider Circle Walks step challenge—hitting 10,000 steps a day and recruiting members to join her on the app. And when Dolores had been waiting years for a home of her own, just minutes from her family, the community she had poured into for so long poured right back. On moving day, members showed up at her door with the things she needed to fill an empty apartment. This is what community-based care looks like. Read Dolores's full story here: https://bit.ly/4ngOLTc Subscribe to Stories From The Circle here: bit.ly/3Ysu6QL #CommunityHealth #HealthEquity #SupportSystems #SocialConnection